Apparatus for crushing and processing scrap metal and similar scrap materials



Nov. 8, 1966 FlNDLAY 3,283,697

APPARATUS FOR CRUSHING AND PROCESSING SCRAP METAL AND SIMILAR SCRAP MATERIALS Filed Jan. 6, 1965 l m fl 1 :l L? 36 I v W. T

I i o l 2 3o 38 L. 28 12/ I l" lrwzrrroa Gaoaee A. Fmauw A? @I/ A/ 1 20 2% F\C1-4 BY 4 I A-nowmav United States Patent 3,283,697 APPARATUS FOR CRUSHING AND PROCESSING SCRAP METAL AND SIMILAR SCRAP MATE- RIALS George Allan Findlay, Mequon, Wis., assignor to Logemann Brothers Company, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Jan. 6, 1965, Ser. No. 423,714 2 Claims. (Cl. 100-95) The present invention pertains to improvements in the apparatus for crushing and processing scrap metal and similar scrap materials.

Crushing is basically the deformation of space consuming or loose material by squeezing it into compact shapes of a substantially smaller volume than that taken up by the pre-crushed material. Crushing is usually performed to render bulky lots of scrap material easily storable and to facilitate their disposal or reuse. The greater proportion of commercial crushing occurs in the preparation of scrap metal for reuse in steel making and a great portion of this scrap is comprised of junked automobiles and automobile parts. The equipment used in crushing is essentially a power press which has its ram connected to move one sidewall of a closed rectangular box towards an opposite stationary sidewall to thereby squeeze the material contained in the box to a predetermined compact size.

In the crushing art the above mentioned box is usually' referred to as the squeeze box and the sidewalls are referred to as the movable and stationary platens. After crushing, the material may be either bailed, sheared into smaller pieces, or utilized in the as-crushed state. When crushing metal scrap and particularly automotive scrap, the scrap is crushed to a compact column approximately 15 to 22 feet in length and 2 to 3 feet square in cross section. Such columns have to be cut to several smaller sections before the crushed scrap may be utilized in the steel making process.

Although the crushing of scrap material might appear quite similar to many well known compression processes, the fact that any given lot of scrap usually contains pieces of varying sizes and shapes raises designs and process con siderations not present in the seemingly similar fields. One of the important considerations in this respect is the fact that the power or press capacity required to crush a given charge of scrap to a compact piece of a predetermined size is not only dependent upon the size and shape of the larger scrap pieces within the charge, but also upon the particular manner in which these scrap pieces align themselves in the squeeze box. These factors are of importance because particular shapes such as I-beams, channels, box sections, and other generally column like pieces will offer substantially greater resistance to the platen movement if they are loaded in pure axial compression than if they are loaded in bending. These pieces will be loaded in such compression if, at the time when they are subjected to the compressive force of the press, they are in axial alignment with the travel of the movable platen and are engaged at their opposite ends by the parallel working surfaces of the platens. The resistance offered by the axial compression loading of these pieces can be designated as column resistance. In cases where column resistance occurs the press has to exceed the force necessary to buckle any of such pieces in order to overcome the column resistance and to enable the charge to be compressed to the desired size.

In view of the fact that in many instances the nature of the particular lot of scrap is such that the column like pieces will only infrequently be positioned in such a man ner that they will create material column resistance, the majority of the crushing operation prior to this invention 3,283,697 Patented Nov. 8, 1966 ICC were either performed at only a partial utilization of the press capacity, or the full capacity was utilized substantially throughout the process but incomplete crushing had to be tolerated at the times that significant column resistance was encountered. In either event the variances in the scrap material created an inherent inefiiciency in the crushing process.

A particular problem Was present in processing automotive scrap metal. In such cases the automobile frame has to be positioned in the squeeze box with each of its side rails extending along one of the platens and with the cross members of the frame extending between the platens. In this position the cross members inherently oifer substantial column resistance to the platen movement. Because of the column resistance a large initial build-up of force was required to buckle the cross members. Since the column resistance of each charge depends upon the particular manner in which the frame lies within the squeeze box, upon weaknesses or reinforcements in the particular frame, and upon other manufacturing variances, the required crusher force varied from charge to charge. The past practice was to drop one or several frames into the squeeze box and to advance the movable platen. If the cross members did not buckle, the operator retracted the movable platen, repositioned the frame, and again advanced the movable platen with the hope that the new position of the frame would offer less column resistance than in the first instance. In effect, crushing of automotive frames was considered to be a hit and miss operation. Also, the compacted pieces often were wider than desirable because the fold present in the buckled cross member would not permit compression beyond a given point. Some problems in cutting the compacted piece were also present. If the buckled section happened to be at the intended cut line, a substantial portion of the cross member would lie on the cut line and transversely to the mouth of the shear and therefore hinder or even prevent cutting at the desired location.

The principal object of this invention is to improve the scrap crushing apparatus by substantially reducing the effects of the column like scrap pieces upon the crushing operation.

A further important object of this invention is to improve the apparatus for processing automotive scrap by eliminating the effect of the automotive frame cross members upon the crushing and cutting operations of this process.

This object is attained by providing a movable platen which is moved towards a stationary platen in a path oblique to the working surfaces of the platens. Because of this direction of motion, any force which will be exerted on a piece positioned between the plat-ens will necessarily have a compressive as well as a turning or moment component and therefore will cause the piece to rotate out of axially aligned position before it can offer any substantial column resistance to the platen movement. By maintaining the platen and the opposite wall parallel to each other, the crushed material will still be of substantially uniform outer contour which is necessary or desirable in many cases yet the uniformity in the consistency of the crushed material will be substantially improved.

The oblique platen movement is of particular significance in processing automotive scrap since the automotive frame will collapse or fold in response to the compressive and moment forces exerted by the movable platen. Essentially, the opposite side bars of the frame will be each engaged by one of the platens and will be moved towards each other as well as in opposite directions parallel to each other, thereby causing the cross members to be turned to a generally longitudinal position within the squeeze box without offering any column resistance.

Experience has shown that when employing the present method and apparatus the crushing force necessary has been reduced by 50 to 70% from that required with the methods used heretofore. Also, since the effect of column resistance has been substantially reduced, the crushing power necessary for any particular type of charge remains fairly constant and thus permits a predetermination of the size of the charge which should be handled by any particular crusher. In other words, the present invention changes the hit and miss type of operation to a predictable and reliable process. Another important advantage is gained by the fact that the side bars of the frame are turned to a longitudinally aligned position in respect to the compacted scrap piece. Because of this, they will be always transversely positioned in respect to the out line of the shearing press and therefore will permit easy cutting at any desired location.

Other objects and advantages will be pointed out in, or be apparent from, the specification and claims, as will obvious modifications of the single embodiment shown in the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the crusher embodying the present invention with the crusher cover being open to illustrate the uncrushed charge and with the movable platen being in a retracted position;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the crusher shown in FIG. 1 with the movable platen being at the end of its power stroke and with part of the cover being broken away to show the deformation of the charge;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional end view taken on line 44 of FIG. 3 with the movable platen being shown by broken lines in its retracted position and with the cover being shown in broken lines in its open position; and

FIG. 5 is a view taken on line 55 of FIG. 3.

The basic principles of operation of the present invention are best appreciated by comparing FIGURES 1 and 2 which show the condition of the charge in its uncompressed and in its compressed state respectively. In FIGURE 1 the charge has been placed in the squeeze box 12 when the squeeze box is at its maximum volume as, shown in FIG. 1. To particularly illustrate the advantages of this invention, the charge is shown to include a column like piece of scrap 14, such as an I-bearn or a channel, which is positioned with its axis perpendicularto the parallel working surfaces 16 and 18 of the movable platen 2t and the stationary platen 22 respec tively. Also, a rectangular box section 24 which is representative of an automotive frame is shown centrally positioned in the squeeze box with its sides 26 being analogous to the cross members of the frame and being positioned perpendicular to the two working surfaces of the platens. The other sides 27 of the box are representative of side bars of the frame and are longitudinally disposed in respect to the squeeze box. The other pieces of scrap are shown to be randomly distributed throughout the box with their axes lying at various oblique angles to the working surfaces. v

The squeeze box itself is of relatively simple construction. In its open position it is of a rectangular shape having a base platform 28 which rigidly supports the stationary platen 22 and'having a cover 30 pivotally connected to the upper edge of the platen by pins 32. The cover may be moved between the open and closed position by pressure responsive cylinders 34 which are connected to the lever arms 36 of the cover in the customary manner. The movable platen of course forms the other side of the squeeze box. The platen has a cross sectionally channel shaped contour to provide horizontally extending top and bottom flanges 38 and 40. The flanges 38 and 40 are in slidable engagement with the base platform and cover respectively. The side faces 42 of the platen 20 are in similar slidable engagement with the guide faces 44 of the guide blocks 46 which are fixed to the base platform. Two pressure responsive cylinders 50 are connected to the platen and to a source of mechanical power for moving the platen 20 between the positions shown in FIGURES l and 2. The guide faces 44, the sides 42 of the platen, and the cylinders 50 extend in the horizontal plane at an angle oblique to the working surfaces 16 and 18 of the platens.

After the charge 10 has been positioned in the squeeze box as shown in FIG. 1 the hydraulic cylinders 34 are actuated to close the cover. Thereafter the hydraulic cylinders 50 are actuated to advance the movable platen 20 from its retracted position towards the stationary platen 22 along the oblique path defined by the guide faces 44. Because of the oblique path the motion of the platen 20 has a substantial component towards and perpendicular to the working surface 18 of the stationary platen and also a component of motion parallel to the working surfaces and towards the right when viewed in FIGURE 1. The force exerted on the charge of course also has two components identical to those of the platen motion. As the movable platen comes into contact with the end of the column like piece 14- it will rotate the piece .14 in the counterclock direction (in reference to FIG. 1). Similarly, after the platen 20 has contacted and moved the box 24 to a position in which its sides 27 are in engagement with the working surfaces 16 and 18, the further platen movement will cause the side 27' to be vmoved towards the right as well as towards the other side 27. This action will cause the rectangular box to change into a parallelogram shape with its side members 26 turning to a position oblique to the working surfaces. In this position they offer very little resistance to further platen movement and cause the box to collapse so that the side members 26 as well as 27 are in generally longitudinal alignment in the squeeze box. In this position all sides of the box as well as the piece 14 are in alignment transverse to the out line 52 of the shear press 54.

After the charge has been deformed to a substantially rectangular elongated shape the movable platen is moved back by cylinders 50 to its retracted position, the cover is opened, and the ram 56 is actuated from a source of power (not shown) to advance the crushed charge towards the shear press which is positioned immediately adjacent one end of the squeeze box. The shear press is provided with a ram 56 which carries a cutting tool 58 and with a corresponding cutting tool 60 mounted in its frame. The actuation of the ram 56 can be coordinated with the operation of the press to cut the crushed charge into pieces of any desired length.

Although but a single embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for compressing scrap metal comprismg:

-a squeeze box having a base platform, a stationary platen forming one side of the squeeze box and a movable platen forming the other side of the squeeze box, said movable platen being movable between a distant position in respect to said stationary platen and a close position in respect thereto so that uncrushed scrap material can be positioned on said base platform when said movable platen is in said distant position and crushed upon movement of said movable platen towards said close position;

motor and guide means cooperating to move said movable pl-aten in a path having a component of movement towards said stationary platen and another component of movement towards one end of said squeeze box to thereby impart a compressive as well as a twisting force on the un-crushed scrap material and thus cause any column like members of the scrap material to be generally axially aligned between the ends of the squeeze box When the movable platen has been moved to said close position. 2. An apparatus according to claim 1 including shearing means positioned at one end of said squeeze box so that the compressed material can be advanced along said base plaform towards said shearing means to be cut thereby; and the shearing means having a cutting line generally transverse to the end-to-end axis of said squeeze :box.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 651,722 6/ 1900 Murphy 100-95 1,687,968 10 1928 Bredenberg 100-214 X 2,059,229 1 1/ 1936 Gregg 100-39 6 Tyson. Fraula et a1. 100-232 X Patros et a1 100-218 Van Endert 100-232 X Lindenmann et a1. 100-95 Bunke et a1. 100-215 Thompson 100-215 Judd 100-98 Lindenmann et a l. 100-98 Parks 100 -192 Patros 100-39 France.

15 845,438 11/1952 Germany.

WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner. BILLY J. WILHITE, Examiner; 

1. AN APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING SCRAP METAL COMPRISING: A SQUEEZE BOX HAVING A BASE PLATFORM, A STATIONARY PLATEN FORMING ONE SIDE OF THE SQUEEZE BOX AND A MOVABLE PLATEN FORMING THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SQUEEZE BOX, SAID MOVABLE PLATEN BEING MOVABLE BETWEEN A DISTANT POSITION IN RESPECT TO SAID STATIONARY PLATEN AND A CLOSE POSIITON IN RESPECT THERETO SO THAT UNCRUSHED SCRAP MATERIAL CAN BE POSTIONED ON SAID BASE PLATFORM WHEN SAID MOVABLE PLATEN IS IN SAID DISTANT POSITION AND CRUSHED UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID MOVABLE PLATEN TOWARDS SAID CLOSE POSITION; MOTOR AND GUIDE MEANS COOPERATING TO MOVE SAID MOVABLE PLATEN IN A PATH HAVING A COMPONENT OF MOVEMENT TOWARDS SAID STATIONARY PLATEN AND ANOTHER COMPONENT OF MOVEMENT TOWARDS ONE END OF SAID SQUEEZE BOX TO THEREBY IMPART A COMPRESSIVE AS WELL AS A TWISTING FORCE ON THE UN-CRUSHED SCRAP MATERIAL AND THUS CAUSE ANY COLUMN LIKE MEMBERS OF THE SCRAP MATERIAL TO BE GENERALLY AXIALLY ALIGNED BETWEEN THE ENDS OF THE SQUEEZE BOX WHEN THE MOVABLE PLATEN HAS BEEN MOVED TO SAID CLOSE POSITION. 